There are two ways to get to Machu Picchu from Cusco, you can either walk or take the train. For the fit the three-day trek apparently is a relatively difficult walk but those who I spoke to who had endured the Inca Track thoroughly enjoyed it. Whilst enjoying a coffee in Cusco Farida and I were talking to two English ladies in their late sixties who were looking forward to the trek. They had spent many weeks in England training for their trek of a lifetime. We had decided to take the train. We had a time constraint so we took the train. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Dawn departure from Cusco

The train ride from Cusco was very interesting as there was a wide variety of scenery; rural, pastoral, gorges, small and large rivers, 20,000 foot-high snow-covered Andes, Inca terraces and rural villages.

As the train left Cusco it had to climb 300 metres to 3,650 metres via three switchbacks to the plateau that surrounds the town, then on its 110 kilometre journey to Aguas Calientes drops 1,600 metres.

Machu Picchu at leisure

Some people only take a day trip to Machu Picchu from Cusco. They have only a short time tovisit whereas those that stay overnight can enjoy the site at leisure.

We had finished our tour of Machu Picchu and blissfully made our way to the bus to take us down to the small town of Aguas Calientes, which has some wonderful restaurants. Needless to say, as everyone who has been to Machu Picchu knows how wonderful it is, I am not going to belabour our feeling of being at such an awesome site. What has also remained in our minds was the trip down, which was accompanied by an unusual sort of an entertainment. The road was a series of hairpins as it descended to the town. We boarded the bus and a smiling, local teenage boy came aboard and after he had made himself known to us all he quickly got off the bus.

The Boy who beat the bus

The bus drove a 100 metres, did a 180-degree turn and drove another 100 metres, we were now directly below the bus stop, and there waving his arms and smiling away was the boy who had previously got on the bus. Every time we were directly below the place where we had boarded the bus, the teenage boy was there in front of the bus. After the final hairpin, I think there were about sixteen altogether, the boy got on the bus and collected his ‘tips’ from the passengers who were delightfully entertained during the trip down. He had run straight down the hill, a drop of 1,100 feet, a lot quicker than the bus, and to Farida and I he was ‘the Boy who beat the Bus’.

The train journey back to Cusco requires two engines, as it is uphill all the way. As the train left at three thirty in the afternoon the windows were open so for me at least it was an advantage as it was so much easier for photography.

With the late afternoon sun slanting across the landscape the scenery appeared so different from the early morning trip. The train stopped at Ollantaytambo where many of the passengers purchased freshly cooked corn on the cob. I had tried the corn earlier at Pisaq and although the cobs were large and juicy they did not have much flavour.

Ollantaytambo

After our stop darkness descended on the countryside and I was about to pack up my camera equipment when without warning we were presented with a cultural show, which was followed by a fashion show. The models, railway employees, showed the latest in handmade alpaca women’s and men’s clothes by one of Peru’s top designers. The pieces were exquisitely made and were very expensive but there were many willing buyers in our carriage, all Europeans. Their exchange rate was five and a half times more than ours, so for them the pieces might not have been expensive. I have to admit that the alpaca jersey that I purchased at the market in Cusco, at a fraction of the price, might not be 100% alpaca but it is very warm and light and woven in traditional Inca patterns. It has always been one item that I have carried with me on all off my travels since then.

We arrived back in Cusco after the entertaining four-hour train ride and the whole journey, the train trips, Machu Picchu and Aguas Calientes will remain as one of our most enjoyable and enlightening journeys.

At my age I took the train. Apparently the 3-day Inca Trail trek is quite amazing. My advice is to spend a few days in Cusco, which is actually higher than Machu Picchu, to acclimatize to the high altitude. Cusco is a wonderful town, you’ll love it.